Terminal for electric cables.



Patented Nov. 30, 1909'.

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TERMINAL FOB. ELECTRIC CABLES.

v APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1908. 941,859.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3. 1908.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

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TERMINAL FOR ELECTRIC GABLES.

APPLICATION-FILED AUG. 3, 1908.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FIGS- INVENTOR Atty's;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, CHARLES W. DAVIS, OF EDGEWORTI-I, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB TO STANDARD UN- DERGROUND CABLE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TERMINAL FOR ELECTRIC CABLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 3, 1908. Serial No. 446,620.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. DAVIS, residing at Edgeworth, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Im rovements in Terminals for Electric Cab es, of which improvement the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in structures known as terminals or terminal heads, which are employed for protecting the ends of lead covered cables, when they are exposed, for the purpose of connecting the conducting cores of such cables with aerial lines.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of a terminal embodying my invention, Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views of branches of the terminal head illustrating certain modifications; and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a terminal head having branches constructed as shown in Fig. 4.

My improved head consists of a sleeve or tubular portion 2 having its lower end contracted to nearly the diameter of the sheath of the cable 1, while its upper portion 3 is flared or spread out to permit the proper separation of the conducting cores as.hereafter described. This head is closed by a cap or cover 4 preferably connected to the head by screw-threads. The cap or cover is preferably formed with an inclined top wall so as to prevent snow .or ice lodging thereon, and is provided with a plurality of nipples 5 dependent upon the number of conducting cores in the cable. The enlargement 3 permits of such a spreading of the conducting cores of the cables as is necessary for electrical reasons and also facilitates the threadin of the cores into the nipples 5. The insuIators 6 are made tubular to permit of the connection of the cores and the lead outs 7 within them, and are preferably connected to the nipples by screw-threads. This screwthread connection between the nipple and insulator is protected by a petticoat 8 formed on the insulator. The lead-out 7 is provided with a socket 9 in which the bared end of the core is secured preferably by sweating.

threaded portion of the lead-out until it.

bears on the end of the insulator and a shoulder 12 on the lead-out bears against a corresponding shoulder 13 on the insulator, thus firmly clamping the insulator and lead-out together. It is preferred that the nut 10 should be formed with a peripheral curtain 11, which extends down over the seat of the nut on the insulator. As shown in Fig. 2 a rubber gasket 14 may be interposed between the nut and its seat so as to insure a moisture tight joint. It is preferred that the gasket and the surface bearing thereon should. be so shaped that the gasket will be squeezed in against the lead-out and form therewith a moisture proof joint.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3, the clamping shoulder 12 on the lead-out is so located as to bear on the upper end of the insulator and the 1ead-out is secured to-the insulator by an internally threaded sleeve 15 engaging threads on the insulator and havmg an inwardly projecting flange engaging the shoulder 12. It is-preferred that the shoulder 12 should be grooved on the underside for the reception of a packing ring and a rib 16 formed on the end of the insulator.

In the construction shown in Fig. at the shoulder 13 is formed by the-inner end of a flanged sleeve 17 on which the insulator is molded in moisture proof contact. The upper flange of the sleeve forms the bearing surface for the nut 10*, and a shoulder 18 is formed on the lead-out so located that when the shoulder 12 is in contact with the shoulder 13, the shoulder 18 will be flush with the end of the insulator. A rubber washer 19 is slipped onto the lead-out and seated on the shoulder 18 and the end of the insulator by the nut 10*, so that said washer will seal not only the joint between it and the insulator but also between the insulator andthe lead-out. It is preferred that the nut should be formed with an outwardly flaring petti- .coat a which should not contact with the insulator so as ,to avoid capillary action. The aerial line 20 may be connected to the cable cores in any suitable manner. As, for

example, the bared end ofthe aerial line may be sweated into a metal socket'2l provided with a threaded stem 22 and this stem connected tothe threaded portion of the lead-out by an internally threaded sleeve 23.

In making a connection between a cable and aerial lines, the metal sheath is removed for a suitable distance and the head 2 slipped over the end of the cable, the cores of the latter being passed through the nipples 5. The lead-outs are then secured to the cores by sweating the ends of the matter in the sockets 9, and the insulators passed over the lead-outs and screwed into the nipples. The nuts 10 are then screwed onto lead-outs firmly securing the lead-outs and cores to the insulators. The lower ends of the head 2 are then secured to the cable sheath in any suitable manner as by a wipe joint 24. It will be understood that in the construction shown in Fig. 3 the insulators should be slippedonto the cores before the lead-outs are secured thereto. After the head 2 has been attached to the cable one of the insulators is removed and insulating material poured in through one of the nipples.

I claim herein as my invention:

1. In a terminal structure for an electric cable, an annular insulator, a leadout adapted to be secured to a conducting core of the cable and extending through the in-' sulator, the lead-out and insulator being provided with abutting portions and means external of the insulator for drawing such portions into contact whereby the insulator and lead-out may be locked together after the latter has been secured to the conductor of the cable.

2. In a terminal structure for an electric cable, the combination of a head adapted to be secured at one end to the sheath of the cable and provided at its opposite end with a plurality of nipples, annular insulators connected to the nipples, lead-outs adapted to be connected to the cores of the cable and extending through the insulators, the lead outs and insulators being provided with abutting portions and means fordrawing such portions into engagement and thereby locking the lead-outs in the insulators.

3. In a terminal structure for electric cables, the combination of a shell, an annular insulator detachably connected to the shell, a lead-out extending through the insulator and adapted to be connected to the conducting core of the cable the insulator and lead-out being provided with shoulders arranged to bear against each other and removable means for holding said shoulders in contact.

4. In a terminal structure for electric cables the combination of a shell, an annular insulator detachably connected to the shell and provided with an internal shoulder or abutment, a lead out extended through the insulator and provided with shoulders so spaced that when one shoulder bears on the shoulder in the insulator, the other shoulder will be flush with the end of the insulator, a washer bearing on the end of the insulator and the shoulder flush therewith and means engaging the'lead-out and pressing said washer to its seat.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES W. DAVIS.

Witnesses:

CHARLES BARNETT, FRANCIS J. TOMASRON. 

